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Bereavement Café marks milestone

A bereavement café, which encourages people to talk openly about losing loved ones, in Mildenhall, has reached its one-year anniversary.

The café, which is facilitated by the Hospice, takes place every Friday from 10am-midday, has continued to grow over the past year. The group decided they wanted to mark the milestone, with a small celebration on October 11.

Bianca Neumann-May, St Nicholas Hospice Care’s family support team leader, said: “Mildenhall has a very strong sense of community and people there look out for each other. This shows in the café every week as people make connections with each other that help them through the tough times and continue beyond.

“Most people have said that they felt at ease being in a group very quickly after the initial apprehension of making the first step of crossing the threshold into the building.

“We have welcomed many new faces and I am grateful to everyone who has come along and shared their experiences and helped to support each other.

“Everyone experiences grief in different ways; the bereavement café creates a safe space where we hope people feel able to talk about how they feel with people who have had similar experiences.”

The sessions, which take place in The Bell Hotel, are open to everyone coping with bereavement. They create a space where people can talk about the pain of loss and find courage and strength in knowing they are not alone.

The café is not designed to be a counselling session; it is a supportive environment for reflection and conversation and a place where people will be able to find mutual support and encouragement.

Hospice staff and volunteers oversee all sessions and are there to offer further advice and guidance. There is also information and sign-posting to other hospice support and services.

The Hospice also runs another Bereavement Café in Bury St Edmunds at the Apex every Wednesday from 10am to midday.